Samsung's flagship LCD and plasma

The physical design of the ES8000 TV has also received an upgrade with the introduction of a U-shaped stand. Note also the small bump at the top of the bezel, you'll need that later.

The Smart Hub interactive TV interface, available on numerous models, has had a small tweak from last year with a less cluttered look, though the prominent tiles in the middle--including the new Family Story social app--probably won't get as much use as the smaller Netflix tile. The only area of the screen you can customize, to leap to oft-used apps for example, is the bottom section. This year you can move or change any of the shortcuts therein.

Samsung's 60-inch E8000 plasma

The E8000 plasma now features an all-black design with a black quadropus stand. The bezel is thicker on the plasma than the LCD but that allowed the designers to seamlessly integrate a camera and microphone.

History

QWERTY keyboard

Last year, Samsung's premium TVs featured a flippable QWERTY remote, but this has been nixed for 2012. Instead, Samsung will sell a full-size keyboard with integrated touch pad, similar to the Logitech Revue keyboard (price TBD, but we're expecting about $99).

Remote

Samsung evolution kit

The evolution kit is Samsung's attempt to introduce upgradability to its high-end Smart TVs. If your 2013 app requires a quad-core CPU, for example, you can upgrade your TV's hardware (and software) for an as-yet-unknown price.